What's your favorite airline?

i am looking at taking a trip to Madrid, Spain in a couple of months. I have been looking up airplane tickets and I wanted to know, which airline do you prefer when taking trips out of the country? I looked up United and it was like $2000 for one person.....is this the normal rate for every airline? or United just expensive?

I asume you are flying in from outside the EU at those prices? If you were flying within the EU, prices can be anywhere from £50 upwards. Some of the flight trawlers don't give very good results either. I can get a direct flight for £80 return, yet the flight trawler wants over £1000 with 3 stops!!

At the risk of attracting red arrows I have never had a problem with Ryanair, or for that matter easyJet. They're coaches with wings; simple. Booking can be tricky but that is an industry problem; not an airline one. Yes, you do have to stick to the rules but if you do there shouldn't be a problem.

As others have pointed out the Costas and much else of Europe would be inaccesible without them. I Checked Baltic Air one way to Riga in Latvia. They flew direct only from (nightmare) Madrid. They wanted €1,000. Ryanair and easyJet combined from Alicant to Riga via Liverpool; two flights; total a little over €125. A no brainer.

Have a look at the Spanish carrier Iberia, not normally renowned for cheap flights, it appears you can fly Madrid - New York return for around 650 euros per person in September.

Going off topic, how many of you knew that our friends at Ryanair fly internal routes in Spain? I didn't until playing about the other night. Booking a few weeks in advance you can fly Malaga - Barcelona return for around 30 euros per person, now that's what I call a bargain.

I saw an Alicante - Seville (Ryanair) for €8. Not sure of the add ons but as it is about 500km work that out in petrol at €1.35 to the litre. Who would have thought you would see the day when air travel was much cheaper than taking the family car?